Techno-Economic Analysis of String vs Central Inverter Fed on a Large-Scale PV Plant

Nowadays, among all renewable energy resources, the most demanding and fast-growing source is solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. In PV system, the inverter configuration i s one of the most critical choices that can affect the overall system's performance and cost. Therefore, optimizing its design is essential for optimal performance of PV system. This study performs a techno-economic case study to benchmark two 13 MW PV systems: system 1 (with string inverter configuration) and system 2 (with central inverter configuration). Both P V systems have the same capacity and land area located in the exact location to unify meteorological conditions. Based on the design parameter and cost analysis, a performance trade off has been observed between two configurations. String inverter configuration slightly outperformed the central inverter configuration i n terms of energy yield by 0.5% whereas in terms of net present value (NPV), central inverter configuration performs better than string inverter configuration by 2.76%. However, the derived outcomes for both systems can vary based on certain factors such as latitude, climate, and weather patterns of the location. For the simulation study, the Helioscope modeling tool is used to analyze the performance of both PV systems.